I am that male friend in the harem story

"So, a batting cage?" 

"Yes." Hayasaka nodded. "It is a great place if you want to release your pent-up stress since it feels great to smash those balls with a large bat." 

"..." 

Where did you put your eyes, Hayasaka Ai?!

While Ishigami was helpless, it was also his first time going to the batting cage. Probably because baseball was the most popular sport in this country, many of these types of businesses appeared in this country, and as Hayasaka had said before, it was a good place to release stress. 

Or rather, many businesses that could be used to relieve stress, such as karaoke or even prostitution, were bustling, especially in this country, where people felt stress from everything, whether it was work, family, or even just the smallest things. 

'Well, it's not just the people of this country who feel that way.' 

Ishigami thought that he really needed to relax, but before that, he needed to solve the situation before him. 

Maki, Karen, and Erika. 

While this situation might cause anyone, especially those scumbags, to panic, Ishigami wouldn't waver and would calmly face this situation, especially when he had faced many more dangerous situations than before. Instead, this situation was nothing but child play for him, who had mastered how to handle all the problems caused by a woman. 

At the same time, while Ishigami had a relationship with Karen, he had no relationship with Maki and Erika, so after they talked, he knew that they would realize that he was innocent. 

As for Hayasaka, she had already given up on him, so it didn't matter. 

The problem was Shirogane, Ishigami thought. 

"Sorry, Kaichou." 

"Why did you apologize?" Shirogane was startled when Ishigami suddenly apologized. 

Still, Ishigami said, "Let's have a talk after this." 

"Thanks..." 

As Ishigami saw Shirogane's sincere smile and grateful words, he felt guilty for some reason despite not doing anything and had been doing his best to support Shirogane. 

Yet, was the truth really what Ishigami thought in his mind? 

Ishigami wanted to ask directly, but considering their situation, he knew that he could only ask when the two were together as it was related to Shirogane's privacy. Only, as Hayasaka showed an example of swinging the bat to hit the ball, did he hope to see something from her expression if she knew something. 

Yet, Hayasaka probably knew how sharp Ishigami's sense was, so she gave the bat to him and said, "I have shown you the example. Try it, Yuu." 

"Okay." 

"....." 

Only Shirogane was even further doubtful when he heard how Hayasaka called Ishigami by Ishigami's first name. 

On the other hand, when Ishigami entered the batting cage ready to start his first batting experience, Maki looked at Karen and asked, "How did you know him, Karen?" 

"That's what I want to ask you. How did you know him, Maki?" Karen asked softly, trying to mask her panic, yet she also had a certain doubt about Maki. Still, Maki was her best friend, and at the same time, she knew that she was the one who had caused Maki to have a broken heart. 

While it might not be related to Ishigami's current situation, let's talk about how Maki got her first break.

Who did Maki love?

Naturally, this person wasn't Ishigami. Instead, her crush was the young man in her class, but similar to Kaguya, she couldn't be honest with her feelings, and in the end, after many misunderstandings, that boy, in the end, became the boyfriend Nagisa, who came to Ishigami for advice in the past. 

Well, the complicated past aside, everything had happened, and Maki had her broken heart and was on her journey of healing. "...he helped me in the past, and then, we became friends." 

If Karen was alone, it would be all good, but Erika was there, so it was hard for Maki to talk about everything. 

Maki, Karen, Nagisa, and Erika. 

The four of them had been best friends for so long as they studied in the Shuchi'in Academy when they were children. 

"Help? What kind?" Erika asked innocently, causing Karen to look at this silly girl helplessly. 

"Well... I had a broken heart, and he helped me." Maki suddenly felt that it was unfair if she didn't tell Erika what had happened to her, even if a friend had no need to tell her everything about their lives. 

"Eh?!" Erika was startled and was about to shout, but Karen quickly closed her mouth. "Shh... be quiet!" 

"!!" Erika realized what she had done, and she quickly calmed down and asked worriedly, "Are you okay, Maki? Who is that guy?! Let me beat him up! No, I will destroy him!" 

'It's Nagisa's boyfriend.' 2x

Karen and Maki thought inwardly, but neither of them planned to say anything since they knew the situation would become so awkward. 

"It's fine. I... should have moved on..." 

Maki murmured as she looked at Ishigami, who went to the batting cage. 

"That's great, then..." 

While Erika sighed in relief, knowing that her best friend was okay, Karen fell silent when she noticed the direction in which Maki was looking. 

"Well, enough about me, what about you, Karen? How did you know, Yuu?" 

Maki narrowed her eyes at Karen since she felt that their relationship was quite weird. After all, she could feel the closeness and a slight affection that slipped from Karen's expression and voice when Karen faced Ishigami. 

If Ishigami had no girlfriend, then Maki would think that the two were dating. 

Or rather, Maki felt that Ishigami was so close with many girls, which made her amazed inwardly since all the girls he knew were high-class levels. 

Yet, when she looked at his appearance that appeared resolute, calm, yet also relaxed as Ishigami held the metal bat, waiting for the ball to be shot from the machine... she understood the reason, especially when Erika had been stealing a glance at him although they talked to each other. 

However, Maki's focus had always been on Karen, so she kept staring at her, waiting for an answer from Karen. 

"He helped me before, but unlike you, he just helped me to pick up my lost item." 

"Lost item?" 

"It's something important, so I am grateful to him." 

Karen's expression softened when she thought about their meeting that day. She tried to hide their relationship since she knew how wrong it was, especially when she knew that Ishigami had a girlfriend, yet even if her rational mind told her to do so, her feelings, body, and expression said otherwise, especially when she thought of her first kiss. 

"....." 3x

Only Hayasaka, Maki, and even Erika, who was the most clueless, realized something must be happening between Karen and Ishigami. 

Regardless, Ishigami, who was inside the batting cage, knew that even if it was his first time, he felt that he could learn it easily, especially with his great physical ability and also the "Fast Learner" ability he gained from Iino.

Then, as expected, he saw the machine shoot out the ball at high speed and swing his metal bat calmly. 

Ping! 

At that moment, the beautiful sound of the ball meeting the metal bat echoed within the batting cage, causing the ball to hit the target in the cage, which showed that Ishigami had hit the "home run." 

Only after he hit the home run did he know well that he had a dead ball on his strategy to handle this situation, as he realized everything had even become messed up after this.